Wpg Free Press: Former Bison Ambrosie new CFL commissioner

There are few things Randy Ambrosie wants people to know about him more than his love for football and family. In a 20-minute interview with reporters Wednesday, Ambrosie, following his official announcement as the 14th commissioner of the Canadian Football League, made clear his devotion to the game through anecdotes featuring his loved ones.

“You’ll get used to the fact that I talk about my family a lot,” said Ambrosie.

There are few things Randy Ambrosie wants people to know about him more than his love for football and family. In a 20-minute interview with reporters Wednesday, Ambrosie, following his official announcement as the 14th commissioner of the Canadian Football League, made clear his devotion to the game through anecdotes featuring his loved ones. “You’ll get used to the fact that I talk about my family a lot,” said Ambrosie.

…The CFL has been in search of a new commissioner since news broke in April of a mutual breakup between the league and Jeffrey Orridge, who lasted just more than two years on the job and officially stepped down as commissioner June 15. Jim Lawson, chairman of the CFL’s board of governors, had been serving as interim commissioner.

One of the biggest factors that led to the hiring of Ambrosie, the runner-up to Orridge the last time around, was his connection to football. Ambrosie grew up playing football in Winnipeg: he played bantam football with the East Side Eagles, midget with the Kildonan Lions and junior with the St. Vital Mustangs, where he was eventually recruited to play for Dennis Hrycaiko at the University of Manitoba.

“Football was a launch pad for me,” Ambrosie said. “It was actually the reason I went to university, because of football. I wasn’t thinking about it, and then football created an opportunity for me to get more serious about school, which I’m proud to say I did, and a lot of wonderful things have happened since then.”

The CFL has been in search of a new commissioner since news broke in April of a mutual breakup between the league and Jeffrey Orridge, who lasted just more than two years on the job and officially stepped down as commissioner June 15. Jim Lawson, chairman of the CFL’s board of governors, had been serving as interim commissioner. One of the biggest factors that led to the hiring of Ambrosie, the runner-up to Orridge the last time around, was his connection to football. Ambrosie grew up playing football in Winnipeg: he played bantam football with the East Side Eagles, midget with the Kildonan Lions and junior with the St. Vital Mustangs, where he was eventually recruited to play for Dennis Hrycaiko at the University of Manitoba. “Football was a launch pad for me,” Ambrosie said. “It was actually the reason I went to university, because of football. I wasn’t thinking about it, and then football created an opportunity for me to get more serious about school, which I’m proud to say I did, and a lot of wonderful things have happened since then.”